Treading surface for footgear



April 12, 1932. o. SCHLAPPIG TREADING SURFACE FOR FOOTGEAR Filed Feb.10, 1930 2 SheetsSheet l o. SCHLAPF'IG April 12, 1932.

TREAIjING SURFACE FOR FOOTGEAR Filed Feb. 10, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig..4.

A TTORNE Patented Apr. 12,. 1932 OTTO SCI-ILAIPPIG, OF DUSSELDORF,GERMANY TREADING- SURFACE FOR FOO'IGEAR Application filed February 10,1930, Serial No. 427,372, and in Germany May14, 1929.

This invention refers broadly to the construction and formation ofrubber tread surfacesfor footgear generally, and it is part cularlyintended to provide means of overcoming slipping tendencies on frozen orsmooth and slippery roads, and to reduce or minimlze soiling of thegarments of the wearer by splashing in wet and rainy weather. It 1s wellknown that in rainy weather and on moist and dirty roads the mud anddirt adheres for a while to the soles and heels of the footgear and israised and thrown about by the walking movement of the wearer, therebycausing stains and splashes which are particula-rly objectionable in'thecase of light- =colored ladies stockings and dresses. It has beensuggested heretofore to counteract these difficulties by the use ofsoft, spongy rubber as a material for the tread surfaces of the '20soles-and heels, but with such material there was the difficulty thatwalking and the en- :gagementof the foot with the ground became veryunsafe and diificult on account of the oscillatory movement of the softsurfaces.

Moreover, the soft protecting layer is rapidly worn out, so that it.must be frequently renewed without however, being absolutely reliable.These inconveniences are eliminated by my invention by the use offurrows, i11- dentations or the like upon the treading surface andpreferably combined with a portion of soft and absorbing rubbersurrounded by such furrows or-indentation, the entire device, if appliedfor instance to a heel, constituting one of the heel lifts or the toplift thereof or the heel itself. Preferably the furrows or indentationsmay be radially ar-v ranged and extend from the center part of thetreading surface towards the edges thereof. 'They are of differentdepths, length and configurationand their depth may be equal to abouthalf of the height of the heel or heel lift or of the sole. Within themarginal fluted or indented portion apatch' of spongy absorbing rubbermaybe disposed.

The invention will bemore fully described by reference to theaccompanying drawings, showing exemplifications of the inventionembodied in the-construction of aheel in Figure 50 l in verticallongitudinal section, in Figure substitut 2 in side elevation and inFigure 3 in bottom plan view. Figure i illustratesa rubber boot providedwith the heel according to this invention, which is shown in plan viewin Figure 5. In Figures 6 and 7 the heel attachment of such shoes isshown on a somewhat enlarged scale, and Figure 8 1s a verticallongltudinal section of another modification.

The marginal indentations. 2 of the heel constitute the open ends ofgrooves,'flut1ngs or furrows 7 which extend in a substantially radialdirection towards the center part of the heel surface. In connectionwith the'flat portions 9 and 10 of the rim these furrows impart a verysteady firm supporting surface f for the foot of the wearer. WVit-h thisembodiment additional not necessarily radial, but parallel, longitudinalfurrows 12 may be provided on the heel breast side of the rim 11. Themounting of the heel upon the sole may be-eflected by a suitableadhesive or .in any other suitable and approved manner, and in the caseof a rubber bootor the like, the

heel may be made integral with the bootby ber secured in place by anadhesive, by melting of'the rubber or otherwise. Inasmuch as thepressure lnthe walking operation is absorbed by the solid rim the rubberinsert 10 1s protected from premature wearing out. I The new heels maybemade of rubber, rubher substitutes, leather, leather residues or lzigures 6 and 7 arerespectively vertical longitudinal section and bottomplan views,illustrating the means'of attaching the improved heel or heellift to an existing heel 15. A filling of sponge rubber 16 may beprovided in this case likewise, but it should be understood es and ofnotched plates of suitable that this filling may be dispensed with andthat the space between the curved marginal part may be occupied by aleather lift or the like.

In Figure 8 an exemplification is shown in which the heel 17 of a rubberboot constitutes the protective heel according to this invention.

As regards the anti-splashing action of the new heel or heel-lift it maybe pointed out that the heel will operate as follows. Upon engagement ofthe new heel with a wet surface the resilient teeth or furrows of thetreading surface are compressed to form a continuous, smooth surface,while the water existing below the heel is forced outwards. The cavityor recess of the treading surface and the rubber filling thereof arelikewise compressed so that the moisture contained in these parts andabsorbed by the sponge rubber is forced outwards as a result of the veryconsiderable compression and reduction of size of the filling. Uponraising the heel or treading surface the teeth, indentations or furrowsare spring actingly returned to their initial position, and in thisreturning movement every tooth or tooth gap, or the projections anddepressions operate in the manner of a diaphragm or membrane pump bysucking the liquid and the dirt particles adjoining the heel from theoutside into the newly formed gaps and depressions. By the presence ofthe depression or cavity in the cen tral portion and by the filling ofsponge rubber or the like therein contained the sucking action of theteeth and projections is considerably increased, inasmuch as upon theraising of the heel the rubber insert will likewise expand, therebyproducing a suction upon the liquid and absorbing and retaining thesame. In view of the fact that the projections or teeth of the heelafter having been restored to their initial position occupy at leasttwice the volume which they possess in the compressed condition, theirabsorbing and retaining qualities are obviously likewise correspondinglyaugmented. There is another important advantage resulting from the useof the new heel, inasmuch as when secured to the boot or shoe itproduces a very pleasant, elastic and agreeable feeling in the walkingoperation. Furthermore, the heel according to the invention does notwear off as rapidly as the ordinary rubber heels, and it may, of course,be used as an ordinary heel or heel lift, in case it should not be madeto serve as a protecting and splashing preventing device.

It should also be understood that the invention is not restricted totheparticular embodiments herein shown and described by way ofeXemplification and illustration only, but it is susceptible of variousfurther modifications and changes within the ambit of the claimshereunto appended.

, I claim 1. A non-splashing footwear heel including a tread formed witha central depression from which a plurality of proximate ribs formingchannels extend to the edge of the heel, said tread being suflicientlyelastic to permit constriction of said channels into a substantiallysmooth fiat surface by applied pressure, and a rubber sponge materialretained in the central depression in said tread.

2. A non-splashing footwear heel having a central cavity and a pluralityof ribs in spaced relation to each other radiating from the cavity tothe edge of the heel, and'an absorbent agent in the cavity, the outersurface of the said absorbent agent being on a plane of the outer edgesof the ribs.

3. A rubber heel for footwear having a body of conventional semi-ovateform in plan and having a substantially central semi-ovate recesswhereby the ground contacting portion of the heel forms a band ofsubstantially uniform width having a nearly straight forward breastportion and arcuate side and rear portions, said rear portion beingserrated to provide alternate grooves and ridges, the faces of theserrations being at acute angles to each other.

4. A rubber heel for footwear having a body of conventional semi-ovateform in plan and having a substantially central semi-ovate recesswhereby, the ground contacting portion of the heel forms a band ofsubstantial- 1y uniform width having a nearly straight forward breastportion and arcuate side and rear portions, said rear portion beingserrated to provide alternate grooves and ridges, the faces of theserrations being at acute angles to each other, and a filling of spongerubber in said recess having its ground contacting surface flush withthe ground contacting surface of the ridges.

5. A rubber heel for footwear having a body of conventional semi-ovateform in plan and having a substantially central semi-ovate recesswhereby the ground contacting portion of the heel forms a band ofsubstantially uniform width having a nearly straight forward breastportion and arcuate side and rear portions, said rear portion beingserrated to provide alternate grooves and ridges, the faces of theserrations being at acute angles to each other, the forward breastportion having a flat substantially unbroken ground contacting surfaceand the serrations extending from one end of the forward breast portionto the other in the side and rear portions.

6. A rubber heel for footwear having a body of conventional semi-ovateform in plan and having a substantially central semi-ovate recesswhereby the ground contacting portion of the heel forms a band ofsubstantially uniform width having a nearly straight forward breastportion and arcuate side and rear portions, said rear portion being ser-7

